Kumu Kahua

About Kumu Kahua Theatre

Kumu Kahua Theatre was founded in 1971 by a group of graduate students at the University of Hawai‘i, with the original goal of producing locally-written experimental works. The Hawaiian language words kumu and kahua translate to “original stage.” At the time, there was no local theatre devoted to telling stories of these islands and its various cultures. In 1982, Kumu Kahua was granted not-for-profit status and in 1994, the Hawaii State Legislature awarded the group its current 100-seat playhouse, a former Post Office, in downtown Honolulu at 46 Merchant Street. Kumu Kahua has helped develop more than 200 original works that has influenced hundreds of actors, playwrights, directors, technicians, and community members.